From the monthly archives:

July 2009

Otaku Indulgences of the Week of July 30th

Sweating

by Austin Otaku on July 30, 2009

Believe it or not, being an otaku can be quite a time drain. In addition to keeping up the Austin Otaku blog, my spare time is filled with a variety of activities, from anime to social engagements.  I present Exhibit A – a summary of the things that will be occupying my mind and my time as an otaku for the next week.

The Blog

Okay. Let’s face it. I spend a lot of time each week on this blog. I’ll be heading back to Austin Books to take some pictures with my new camera and to talk with the staff. I covered Dragon’s Lair, with its manga and anime selection, this past week. Now it’s time to cover the store with the largest selection of manga I’ve seen in Austin.

Additionally, I’m editing an interview I did with Austin bento blogger, Ironjack. I should have a great post covering him and his blog in a few days.

Kawaii Things

I’m always interested in all of the ways the Japanese incorporate cuteness into their daily lives. From governmental mascots to Hello Kitty on EVERYTHING, they really know how to get their kawaii on. Even the wrapper on my favorite Cucu Pudding hard candy, when you lift up the bottom of the wrapper, has a cute mascot.

Cucu Pudding Candy Wrapper

Anyway, my point is that I’ve been asked to give a lecture on Japanese popular culture in the late Fall, and part of that is Japan’s obsession with all things kawaii. I’ll let everyone know when I’m scheduled to do my presentation. Maybe you can come.

Anime

As a part of my very full otaku schedule, I’m watching several anime series concurrently right now, including:

“Bakemonogatari” is proving to be quite the appealing series, though I can’t pinpoint why. The story-lines are surreal, and the animation is tough to follow sometimes. It is directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, who is also directing Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, so that may account for the … erm… oddness (and appeal) of the series.

Bakemonogatari 04 from www.instantz.net on Vimeo.

J-Dorama

Somehow I still have time to watch a few episodes of two J-drama series that I’m following as well:

  • Zeni Geba (which stars Matsuyama Kenichi, who played L in the live-action “Death Note” movies)
  • Love Shuffle (where unhappy couples agree to switch partners to see if they can find happiness)

Groups and Activities

My meeting schedule is filling up in my spare time as well. This past weekend I attended the JASGA’s Sushi Workshop, and this weekend I’ll be attending my first member mixer with them.  And this coming up Tuesday evening, I’ll be attending my first meetup with the Austin Anime Meetup Group. Tuesday night is the Manga Meetup, and I’m definitely looking forward to hanging out with some fellow otaku.

The Austin Otaku Fanpage

In addition to keeping up the Austin Otaku blog, I manage the Austin Otaku Twitter account and the fan page on Facebook. If you haven’t become a fan yet, by all means, feel free to join

Austin Otaku on Facebook

My New Lunch Spot?

Here’s one thing that has me excited. They’re opening up a new Japanese restaurant (Nagoya) just three doors down from where I work the second week of August. If the food is good, I have a feeling I’ll be walking there quite often. (If you’re unfamiliar with the sprawl of North Austin, you may not recognize how awesome it is to have a restaurant within walking distance of work, …much more so a sushi restaurant.)

Here’s a pic of the new place:

Nagoya Steak and Sushi Austin

So, that’s my week in a nutshell. It seems this whole otaku hobby is turning into a big investment of time. At least it’s a fun investment of time and energy.

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Get Your Anime and Manga Fix at Dragon’s Lair

Reading

by Austin Otaku on July 29, 2009

In Austin, you have to expect that each store you want to visit as an otaku (or anyone for that matter) is far removed from the next store you want to visit. Austin has truly mastered the art of urban sprawl. So it’s a pleasant surprise to find a good source for manga and anime right next to Austin’s own konbini, Asahi Imports. That source would be Dragon’s Lair Comics and Fantasy, a comic book store that opened its doors in 1986.

While its largest focus is still comic books, Dragon’s Lair has expanded its inventory to include a wide variety of board games, action figures, and, of course, manga (for purchase) and anime (for rent).

Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy Exterior

The manga section is the first thing you see on your right as you enter the store. There are two and a half full rows containing hundreds of titles, from Ai Yori Aoshi to XxxHOLiC. It’s certainly more of a selection than you’ll find at  Barnes & Noble or Borders (though I have to admit that I am impressed with the manga selection at those stores … being what they are, namely the despised big-box stores).

Manga Section at Dragon's LairManga at Dragon's Lair
Wall Scroll at Dragon's LairAnime Section at Dragon's Lair

While Dragon’s Lair doesn’t have the largest selection of manga in Austin, you can always order any title they don’t have in stock if it’s still in print. Just ask one of the helpful workers to order it for you, and it should arrive within two weeks (in most cases). If it’s a particularly rare title, they’ll keep trying to order it for you for up to two months.

In addition to a healthy manga selection, Dragon’s Lair also offers anime DVD rentals, a terrific service considering so few video rental places in Austin have anime. (I’m still a bit depressed that the Vulcan Video near my apartment closed down, as they offered plenty of anime and Japanese cinema titles. *sigh*)

What else can I say about them?  … Oh, if you were wondering, Dragon’s Lair also offers some of the best titles from Dark Horse, DC and Marvel Comics … if that’s your thing. ^_~

Be sure to swing by Dragon’s Lair the next time you’re picking up some natto and Hapi Puringu at Asahi Imports.  You know, economize by combining your errands AND support your local businesses at the same time.

Dragon's Lair, next to Asahi Imports

Dragon's Lair, next to Asahi Imports

Dragon’s Lair is located at:

6111 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78757-3226
(512) 454-2399

Their store hours are:

M-Tu 10am-Midnight
Wed 9am-Midnight
Th-S 10am-Midnight
Sun 12pm-7pm

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Austin Otaku with a Knife? Attending a Sushi Workshop

Frightened

by Austin Otaku on July 26, 2009

Having  joined the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin as part of my new commitment to learn Japanese, I decided to go to my first JASGA event this weekend – a Sushi Workshop. Jorge, the head sushi chef at Kenichi (419 Colorado St.), taught a large turn-out how to prepare a California roll and a spicy tuna roll.

The event hosts showed how to properly prepare rice for sushi, including picking out the right grain of rice, how to wash it, and how to mix in the rice vinegar, sugar and salt to make the rice shiny. Then Jorge showed how to slice and dice the ingredients and roll them all together.

Rice PreparationSushi Workshop Attendees Watch Cucumber Slicing
Slicing the Yellowfin TunaJorge Preparing Spicy Tuna
Rolling the Spicy Tuna RollCutting up the Spicy Tuna Roll
My Failed California Roll AttemptJorge, Eri, and Kako

Fortunately, I left the event with all of my fingers intact, but I can’t say that my California roll held together very well. At least it tasted pretty good.

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Dinner and Drinks with the Japanese Meetup

July 25, 2009
Austin Otaku

If I set my mind on something, I generally stick to it until I accomplish my goal. So, with my desire to learn the Japanese language, I did three things this week to overcome my own lack of initiative in my spare time to learn the language: I joined the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin. [...]

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Fill Up on Bubble Tea and Kawaii at Momoko

July 22, 2009
I'm Cool

With more than 60 days per year over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a poorly designed road system, terrible drivers, panhandlers on every street corner, and plenty of ignorant but proud Texans, not much about Austin can be considered kawaii (Japanese for “cute”). So finding a shop that specializes in kawaii items is as rare as finding [...]

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SXSW: The Pillows at Japan Nite

July 19, 2009
Rock on!

Each Spring, Austin (“The Live Music Capital of the World”) brings in musical talent from all over for its annual four-day music festival known as South-by-Southwest (SXSW). Of the 1400 people performing at dozens of venues throughout the city, some include bands from Osaka, Tokyo, Yokohama, Kagoshima, and other cities, who jam at Japan Nite, [...]

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A Guide to the Great Food of Japantown

July 17, 2009
Austin Otaku

San Francisco is known for its wonderful cuisine, and the Japantown (Nihonmachi) neighborhood is no exception. Except that while the rest of San Francisco is dining on cioppino, clam chowder in bread bowls, and whole crabs, Japantown is eating more exotic fare, including lots of dishes you won’t find in your local sushi bar. You’ll [...]

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Sing Along if You Know the Song

July 15, 2009
Austin Otaku

Asian Kung Fu Generation must have some friends in anime production world. Their songs have been used in hit shows like “Bleach”, “Naruto”, and “Full Metal Alchemist”, and I’m sure that didn’t hurt sales of their music. Sure, they can stand on their own as a band, but big endorsements are never bad. They’re the [...]

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Nihongo wa Wakarimasen

July 15, 2009
Austin Otaku

The third trait of a “wapanese” person (“the term used to describe a person of non-japanese descent … who is incredibly obsessed with Japanese things”), according to the Urban Dictionary, is that they “Halfheartedly [study the] Japanese language and/or is a part-time practitioner of martial arts.” I’m always the first (and probably a little too [...]

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